One Thousand Paper Cranes
by Shoulda Been Grace
Summary: Once upon a time, Zoro's childhood friend promised to help him with anything he needed, so long as he reached the Grand Line. But when the time for her to live up to her promise comes, will she be ready and willing? Zoro/OC
1. Prologue: Part One

It was a small village, Shimotsuki. It had a dojo, a café, a market, and a few small stores and bars; the residential area was built around it all, save the dojo, which sat on the edge of town. But its small size made it friendly, homey.

A young brunette walked down the street, grinning, with a hop in her step. It was the second island they'd visited on the way to the Grand Line (something the girl's uncle had to keep telling really _did_ exist). She was looking at everything with wide eyes, excitement written clearly on her face. She was an excitable child, that one.

When the girl and her escort reached what was commonly called Market Lane, the girl's eyes went wide with amazement. Despite its small size, Shimotsuki had an enviable market, due to the abundance of sailors and merchants who passed through the island. They stayed for only a few days at a time, but they also managed to leave with a significantly higher amount of Beli than they had arrived with.

She darted from stall to stall, and was even offered a few treats at the stalls she stayed still at long enough. She hadn't ever experienced anything like it; they had lived in the mountains on their home island with their own garden and farm, so they rarely needed to travel into town, and this was the first island they had docked at for more than an hour or two; the girl was soaking the experience up.

Much to her chaperone's annoyance.

Although he managed to reign her in stall after stall, she managed to escape to another one again and again. After retrieving her from a glass jewelry vendor (with a necklace in tow; it was the only way she would leave), the man snapped, "Emina! I have shopping to do! Follow me and _behave_!"

The girl didn't even stop smiling, though at least she didn't laugh. She just smiled up at him and took his hand. "Okay, Oji-chan!"

He frowned, saw his sister's face in hers, and turned his head abruptly, yanking on her arm to lead her toward a food stall.

Edan couldn't bear the pain anymore; his sister and her husband were gone from this world, and it pained him to see her face in Emina's, his words in Emina's. She really was their child, like they boasted. And he'd had to live with her for every day for the past four years.

He couldn't do it anymore.

No one would blame him, would they?

He didn't answer that question, knowing the answer and ignoring the guilt chewing at his heart, as he bartered with a vendor over the price of some steak. In the end, it was Emina, with her cherub face and wide, doe eyes, that lowered the price to an indecent seventy-five Beli.

He took the meat and slammed down the money before the vendor could change his mind.

Edan tugged the girl from stall to stall, using her mercilessly to lower prices, before looking at his watch and blinking in surprise: was it really already one in the afternoon? He eyed the girl and sighed before plastering a smile on his face and pulling the girl to the center of town. He finally found a place to fit his purpose: the Bustling Bee (weird name for a bar, but then again, this _was_ the East Blue… Filled with crazies, the whole of it).

He led her to the door, jerking a thumb at the entrance and dropping a few hundred Beli in her palm. "I've got a few things left to do, but they're mostly concerning the boat and wood… Gotta fix the masthead… and we need new lines." He broke off, realizing he was talking to himself, and patted her head. "Think you can tide yourself over for a few hours here, kid?"

She grinned up at him, all sunshine and rainbows and butterflies.

So trusting. He really didn't understand it.

"Yep! Thanks, Oji-chan!"

He patted her head, smiled a sad smile (she was _so_ like Canna), and left her without ever looking back. She meandered into the bar, unnoticed until she plopped herself down at the bar.

"One apple juice, please!"

* * *

The bartender was surprised, to say the least; though it was technically open, the Bustling Bee usually did not serve anyone until around five-thirty or six. He obliged when the girl laid down some Beli, and when he asked her why a young girl like herself ("I'm seven!" she had said with an indignant pout, like it would have mattered any which way) was alone at a bar at one in the afternoon.

"Oji-chan is getting some spare parts for our boat so he can fix it!" she had replied not a minute later, a proud beam on her face as she sucked on her juice. He didn't know what there was to be proud about, but he nodded like he did. "He'll be back soon; something's wrong with our masthead and our lines, but that's it."

He deduced she was a merchant or a fisher's daughter and would be out of his hair pretty soon anyway, so why shouldn't he serve the kid?

He entertained her for a few hours and gave her a free meal, but once the regular crowd started shuffling in, he told her to scram (she'd hurt business, and the bar could get rowdy some days). The girl nodded, said, "Thanks, Oji-san!" and all but disappeared. He had assumed she had left, and got a few questions about the girl before the night really kicked into high gear.

It was a successful night: he made more money than usual, and he had to break up just one bar fight—a record low for Fridays. It was only at five in the morning, once everyone had retreated home and he was sweeping the floors while he whistled, that he noticed a small mop of brown hair tucked away in the corner of the bar.

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he walked toward the hair, which was attached to a head, which was, of course, attached to a body.

Not just any body, but the body of the girl he had told to scram—the merchant/fisher/traveler's kid.

He scowled and poked her with the broom. She started, rubbed her eyes, and yawned before blinking up at him and smiling tiredly. "Oh, Oji-san, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep, I really didn't."

His mouth twitched and he sighed, poking her again with the broom. "Oi, kid, I told you to scram. Why are you still here?"

The girl blinked at him owlishly, then furrowed her brows and cocked her head. "I told you, Oji-chan is getting spare parts for the ship, and then he's coming back for me. It won't take more than a few hours."

He frowned, hoping the guy had passed out somewhere or booked a hotel, since it had been more than twelve hours from when the girl had stepped into the bar. He asked her what her "oji-chan" looked like (light brown hair down to his shoulders, the sad startings of a beard, a little taller than the bartender) and sighed, _really_ hoping the guy was in a hotel.

No one like that had stepped into his bar; there were only regulars and a handful of Marines passing through.

The girl yawned again, and the bartender sighed before leading her up the stairs to his guest room. It was, after all, only five in the morning; there was nowhere else for her to go. She smiled up at him sleepily as he opened the door. "Thanks, Oji-san," she said, shuffling inside.

"Oi, kid, I'm Adam—not Oji-san or Adam-san or nothin'—just Adam."

"All right," the girl said after a yawn. "I'm Emina." Then she crawled into bed.

* * *

The kid—Ermina, that is—ended up staying for a week and a half. She refused to move, sitting at the bar from eleven or noon until nine at night, when Adam sent her up for bed. She grew on the regulars, and as she made more friends, Adam grew more worried.

Merchants and sailors, though friendly, refrained from getting close to people; it hurt too much to constantly be making friends and be forced to leave them day after day. Even the kids on board, if there were any, learned that much quickly. He should know; he had been one of them years ago.

So her behavior was unusual from that aspect.

Then there was the fact no one had seen the girl's uncle, Edan, for a few days—and none of the merchants, shopkeepers, or carpenters had been approached for any jobs from any travelers recently.

So, he deduced, the kid had been abandoned.

It was a shitty thing to do, though he supposed it was a good thing the asshole who did it had chosen Shimotsuki Village to dump the poor girl; the island after this one was infamous for selling people off as debts or as a safety net to pirates.

But he didn't know the first damned thing about raising kids.

Which was why, when he saw his good buddy the dojo master shopping on Market Lane with his daughter Kuika or Kuintoh or something like that (some weird name he could never remember), he walked right up to the raven-haired man and bought the fruit he had been inspecting.

At his quirked eyebrow and curious smile, Adam said, "Koshiro, I've got a favor to ask of you."

* * *

_So, this is my first One Piece story. It's not the story I'd been planning to post first but... it just kind of happened. I wanted to play around with it._

_Obviously, this is the prologue. I'm sorry it's a little short, awkward, abrupt... But I feel like most openings are. The prologue will be about six or seven parts long, and then we'll get to the actual story._

_Anyway, while I don't believe in holding stories hostage, I do enjoy feedback and knowing what you think so far. So please review :) _

_And in case you didn't know:_

_Oji-san/-chan_: Uncle, or an address for a middle-aged man. Luffy uses a shorter, ruder form of this: _Ossan_

_ Anyway, until next time~!_


	2. Prologue: Part Two

"_NO_!"

Adam winced at the bellow, sticking the tips of his pinkies in his ears and digging around. He hadn't known a girl so little could have ever made a sound that loud. He swore she could have broken the sound barrier alone with that shriek.

"Emina, kid, think about-"

"_NO!_ No, no, no, a thousand times _NO_!" she screeched, interrupting him for the second time ever since he'd met her.

And damn, did that seven-year-old have a frickin' voice on her.

Adam sighed and cracked his neck, not liking the feeling settling in his gut. But really, it was for the best; he'd never had any siblings, never been married, never had any kids. He could barely talk to sober people, much less a sober kid. He didn't know the first thing about being a parent.

But Koshiro, it was first nature for him. He dealt with brats every day of his damn life. And he _enjoyed it_, which was the kicker.

Besides, Adam could visit whenever, even if it was on the opposite side of town.

But that wasn't what Emina was worried about, and he should have known.

"Oji-chan said he'd come back for me! If I go somewhere else, he won't be able to find me! So I'm staying. _I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE_!"

"Gold fucking Roger, brat, stop with the fucking yelling!" he snapped before he could help himself. He got in a glaring contest with the kid and Roger be damned if he was… was… _losing to a seven year old_!

A calming hand on his shoulder made Adam straighten and look behind him, blinking in surprise. Truly, he had forgotten he had brought Koshiro to the bar. His friend smiled at him, encouraging him to step down, and walked up to the petulant child.

She was perched on top of the bar, an ugly scowl marring her face. Adam had never seen Emina do anything but smile and laugh, so he had been (un)pleasantly surprised at her reaction when he revealed he had set up an arrangement where she would stay somewhere that wasn't the bar. As Koshiro talked with her (or rather _at_ her; she was glaring at him, arms crossed, with open and silent hostility) quietly, he rubbed the back of his head.

Honest to God, he had planned on telling her about the confirmation he had received that a man looking exactly like her uncle, Edan, leaving the island in the boat she described, but how do you tell someone (a seven-year-old, no less) that she's just been left behind? By her own flesh and blood, too?

Adam couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe it made him a bad person, but he simply couldn't do that to the kid.

"I'm sure that Adam-kun would be willing to tell your uncle where you are when your uncle comes back, eh?" Koshiro's smiling eyes looked back at Adam, making him realize how much of the conversation he'd missed.

He leaned against the bar and smiled, nodding. "O' course, kid," he said, noticing how Koshiro said "when" instead of "if", and added, "But it would sure be more comfortable in a dojo with a bunch of other kids your age."

Koshiro nodded, and though Emina looked less pouty and mad, she still bore signs of stubbornness. "I don't have to learn to fight, do I?"

The raven-haired dojo master shook his head and laughed. "No, Emina-kun, you would be my honorable guest. You'll learn to fight if and only if you want to."

She thought it over, still unsure. She looked between the two for a long minute before sticking her tongue out at Adam. "I'm sick of smelling like booze, so I accept!" Both men laughed with no little relief. It was the best thing, really.

Koshiro and Emina started to leave (she didn't have anything to pack, anyway) and they had been gone for about five minutes when the door to the Bustling Bee opened and something small and cute rocketed into Adam.

He dropped the glass he had been cleaning, but smiled down at the form whose arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. Emina's face upturned and she grinned at him widely. "Thanks for everything, Adam!"

He grinned and leaned down, impulsively kissing her forehead. "Anytime, Mina-chan."

* * *

Emina—or rather, Mina, which had caught on after a few days—stayed true to her word: she didn't learn to fight. But because it was a dojo, and on the edge of the town, there was little to do but study and fight. So not only was she the only kid who didn't take up kendo, she was one of the only kids at the dojo who got a formal education, too.

She had been an outcast, at first. Unsure, she had meandered around the main house absentmindedly when she wasn't at school. Then, she found Kuina.

And after that, she was Kuina's shadow.

It had earned her a smile from Koshiro, chuckles from the few instructors who weren't sore at Kuina, and a quirked eyebrow from the Kuina herself, but no one actually _said_ anything about it, so she figured it was okay.

Which inevitably led to following Kuina into the practice room.

The younger girl didn't like fighting at all, so she was surprised when she found she _enjoyed_ watching Kuina train and beat people—literally _beat_ people—with her practice kunai.

Even the adults.

Soon, she found herself not only quietly observing Kuina, but cheering for her too. After a few weeks, she started showing up, even when Kuina wasn't fighting, to cheer on the other kids.

It was hard for Mina to pick a favorite, so she just cheered everyone on equally, congratulated the winner, and helped the loser with whatever injuries he ended up with. She became a sort of mascot for the dojo, quickly making friends with all the students and instructors.

Because she refused all invites to learn kendo (and there were many), they once tried to get their mascot to referee a game against an opponent from another dojo. And while it had started out fine, once the challenger had been within "deadly" striking range of Koshiro, she had freaked out and launched herself in the middle, taking the hit straight to her head.

While she was passed out, Kuina beat up everyone who had even witnessed the fight for allowing her to referee and get injured. It was safe to say that after that, Mina stayed on the sidelines with an alert Kuina next to her.

And no, no one could properly convince her that the scratch that scarred her forehead made her look like a badass and she should therefore start training in the art of swordsmanship.

Isshin Dojo became her home, and Shimotsuki Village (especially Market Lane and the Bustling Bee) her favorite hang-out. After three months, she stopped mentioning Edan, having figured out that the "when" was an "if", and an improbably one at that, for whatever reason. After six, when Koshiro asked her if she would like for him to adopt her, she had cried and said yes please.

She was finally finding a place where she belonged—a family, a home, a life.

And damn, if that girl didn't have a reason to smile every day.

* * *

_So this was actually supposed to come out like, tomorrow or Sunday. But I'm in a good mood because Lord Stanley is smiling upon my fortune, so I decided to be nice and get this out (plus, I'm so busy this weekend, I'll forget if I don't do it now)._

_Anyway, thanks to blacklightningwolf, Country-Girl20, RedRose43, Rmeyer90, Sovetskii, and UnperfectButLovingIt for your subscriptions! Reviews would be awesome._

_Honestly, I didn't like this chapter. The beginning is better than the end, I feel like. Not as unnecessarily fluffy. But it will get better, and this is really just an introduction to get the main ideas of the actual story comfortable, and give a little bit of a backstory for you all._

_I'm sorry for the shortness and the content (again); I know you all expected more and better. But I'll update soon, and we'll be getting to the real story pretty shortly._

_Thanks,_

_SBG_


	3. Prologue: Part Three

It was meticulous work, work that Emina enjoyed. In a way, it was like swordsmanship, however much Kuina would deny it. Kuina thought anything that didn't make her sweat or stronger was pretty useless and would certainly _balk_ at the idea that her swords could ever be similar to _origami_, but Mina thought they were.

Sure, she never sweated because of paper folding, but it required a lot of concentration and imagination. It was stimulating and she enjoyed it. It was enough for Mina.

Their father had taught them the art of paper folding a few days ago. While Kuina had given it up after a few hours (her paper animals kept getting worse and worse, and besides, it was taking away time from her training), Mina had kept at it, making an army of paper animals at her Koshiro's feet.

After she finished the last fold on her crane, she cupped it in her hands and lifted it. "You can fly now," she whispered, and though her hands stopped, it continued to float into the air, flapping its wings and chasing a yellow and blue patterned butterfly around. She admired it, a wide smile on her face as she traced the bird's process around the room.

She stood, carefully avoiding a mischievous paper cat pawing at her foot, and padded over to her desk to retrieve more paper. She had just started on an elephant when the door to her room opened. "Hey, Mina-chan, where'd you-"

The blue-haired girl froze, staring at the unbelievable scene in front of her: origami creatures were actually… _moving_… around the room. Her eyes flicked to the window—it was closed. Shivers ran down the elder girl's spine as the butterfly landed on her left shoulder, and only a few seconds later, the crane landed on her right.

Her eyes flicked to her little sister, her beaming little sister, folding the paper expertly without even looking at her. "Isn't it great, Nee-chan? They're all ali-"

"What are you doing, Emina?"

The brunette flinched at the elder's sharp tone and frowned. She was just folding paper. Her sister's frown deepened as she shook her head. "Normal origami doesn't _move_, Emina. What are you doing to it?"

Mina stammered, unsure of how to appease Kuina. It was something she had always been able to do, ever since she could remember. If she concentrated enough, she could make almost anything do what she wanted.

Well, anything not already living. But things like brooms, dishes, swords, and paper animals—it was easy.

She cocked her head. "Can't everyone do it?" The seven-year-old was genuinely confused.

Apprehensively, the blue-haired-girl shook her head and closed the door behind her. "No. No, they can't. Emina, you need to stop it right now." There was something in Kuina's eyes, some emotion, that made she couldn't identify.

"But-"

"_RIGHT NOW!_"

Emina flinched back, eyes wide, and dropped the elephant. Frantically, she waved her hands around and said, "You can all go to sleep now!"

Movement ceased; the crane and butterfly fell to the floor, dead; the cat froze in the middle of cleaning itself; a frog, at the peak height of a jump, dropped like a rock.

Even Emina and Kuina didn't move.

After making sure everything really had stopped moving, Kuina breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her adoptive sister. The emotion stayed in her eyes, cold and hard. She walked toward Mina, a strange expression on her face.

Emina didn't know what to think when Kuina's arms wrapped around her. She froze, confused, but slowly and awkwardly patted Kuina on the back. "I don't understand, Nee-chan…"

The girl heard the sound of the slap before she felt it. Shocked, her eyes opened wide, and though she stumbled back from her sister, tripping over her own feet and staring at Kuina, Mina didn't utter a sound.

Too surprised.

Kuina's eyes, so bleak, stared down at her, stormy, before she turned around and left the room.

She realized the emotion that had been in her older sister's eyes: fear.

* * *

A few days later, Emina was hanging her coat in the closet by the stairs, about to head up to her room and start on her homework, when she heard her name called from behind her. She turned around and smiled at the man—Jomei, an instructor at the dojo. "Ah, good afternoon, Mei-sensei! How are you?"

The brunet smiled down at her. "Fine, thank you. Koshiro-sensei asked me to tell you he wants to see you. Have you seen Kenjiro anywhere?"

The girl paled but forced a smile, hoping Jomei wouldn't notice anything out of place. "A-ah, no, sorry. I just got back from school."

He sighed but shrugged it off, ruffling her hair before going to check in the kitchen. As she watched him go, Emina slumped. _So, they'll kick me out, I guess._ She didn't want to go, but it was a summons from the master of the dojo, the man who had adopted her, allowed her into his home. If she disobeyed it, she was definitely going to be out on her ass.

Her body automatically moved, leaving the comfort of the main house for the dojo. She mulled over her thoughts, turning scenario after scenario in her head; they all ended with her back on the streets.

After she had finally found a home, a place she belonged, people who loved her—she'd be gone. Because she was a freak?

_It's not fair_, she scowled as she kicked a rock out of her path. It wasn't her fault she was different. She hadn't even realized she _was_ different until last week, when Kuina had freaked out on her.

Her heart twanged, keening low, painfully. Her older sister hadn't spoken to her in a week. Though she had lost the fear, the anger, the weird and scary look, she hadn't been able to look Emina in the eye since the incident. Mina would have apologized, but Kuina rushed from the room whenever she approached. Tears threatened to fall, but the girl clenched her fists and shook her head.

_No. I won't cry. Nee-chan is _always_ strong. I can be too._

Her feet came to a stop. She looked up, sighed, and stretched. Although she was trembling, she put a smile on her face and pushed the sliding door open, entering the room. Only Koshiro and Kuina were there. As the smile froze on her face, Mina bowed.

When she straightened and saw the usual smile on Koshiro's smile, her resolve shattered into a million pieces, and she was reduced to a blubbering pile of goo.

"Koshiro-sensei, please don't make me leave! I'll never do it again, I promise!" Emina wailed. "I'll take up swords or get the best grades or—"

"Emina-chan," he interrupted, slightly amused and partially confused, "What are you talking about? Where did you get those ideas?"

She sniffed and looked at the black-haired man through teary eyes. She tried to rub away her tears, but to no avail; she was still a wet, bawling mess of a girl. She replied, "I-I thought you were going to throw me out."

She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to look at Koshiro or Kuina, and heard him walk towards her. She tensed but was wholly surprised when he reached down and ruffled her head (why did people think she liked that?). She opened one eye and saw him crouching in front of her, smiling softly. "Kuina explained to me what happened. With the origami animals coming to life."

She opened the other eye and stared at him wide-eyed. With a small laugh, he said, "You don't know what it means, do you?" Mina shook her head, so he explained.

Mina was at least half-mage, though since her powers were so strong so early, he wagered she was full blooded. What she could do was rare, even for mages, but not strange—it was magic. When she came of age, between sixteen and eighteen, she'd bear the Mark of Hecate. He didn't know much else, but he knew she wasn't a freak.

She stared at him, wide-eyed and hopeful, and after a minute's silence, Kuina said, "You forgot to say she could stay, Tou-san."

Koshiro just smiled, and Mina hugged him tightly. He laughed and hugged her back, smiling as always. When Mina opened her eyes, she grinned at Kuina and held her hand out.

In an rare show of emotions, Kuina ran forward, launching herself into the hug; she cried, but Mina just wrapped her arm around her.

Forgiving. Understanding.

And for awhile, things were okay.

* * *

_Sorry for the late update. I've been crazy busy, with the semester closing and finals and random tests, projects, working, etc. But in a month and a half or so, we should be in the clear and updates won't be as sporadic._

_Sorry if Kuina's out of character… I just made her a no-nonsense kind of kid. And I mean, considering that Mina was animating an army of little origami creatures, I think it's a fair reaction._

_Anyway, thanks for all the reads, favorites, and alerts!_

_Special thanks to my reviewers, Rmeyer90, RedRose43, and rukia23. Sorry I didn't reply to you directly (I normally do), but I appreciate it a lot!_

_Anyway, peace for now, homies!_


	4. Just an Author Note, Sorry

Holy shite, it's been awhile. A lot of things happened that I really don't feel like talking about, but the point is, I stopped writing this story, the story got lost because technology really sucks sometimes, and I'm going to try to start this again, but school is starting up again.

It doesn't tell you guys a lot, but thank you all for the support and patience.

Hopefully, I'll have this story up and running again soon.


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